King of Hearts
by iMgOiNgKrAzY
Summary: He was at a loss for how to get her attention. Before, they had always bickered, but he wanted a different kind of attention…“Don’t play games with me, Malfoy. I will have my card back, one way or the other.” DMHG
1. Chapter 1

**King of Hearts**

**Chapter One: Playing Cards**

Draco's POV

She was always playing such ridiculous muggle games, and teaching them to her friends. Like Hearts. He didn't really understand the rules, but he did notice that she played it with that "deck" of playing cards.

He was at a loss for how to get her attention. Before, they had always bickered, but he wanted a different kind of attention. He brainstormed for hours, and finally managed to come up with a good idea.

Draco knew that he could get a hold of anything he wanted, at anytime. But this was different. He had never attempted to retrieve anything from somewhere as dangerous as the Gryffindor Common Room before. However, he was sure that he could do it, along with the help of his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

Draco snapped his fingers, and, immediately, his friends were by his side.

"That was loud! Right in my ear, too," Goyle complained, grimacing.

Draco glared at him. "Wimp."

"Wimp!" Crabbe mocked, laughing.

"Oh, shut up!" Draco snapped, annoyed.

"He called you a wimp!" Crabbe continued, ignoring Draco.

"No, he was talking to _you_," Goyle argued.

"No, he wasn't!"

"Yes, he was!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed. "Time for Plan B."

Hermione's POV

It was another cold winter night. Hermione was sitting by the fire, enjoying a hot cup of cocoa. And she just happened to be scribbling away on her piece of parchment.

"'Mione, no more homework. It's Christmas break! Put it away and relax for once," Harry begged, sitting at a table. The black marble chess set in front of him was his Christmas present to Ron, who was currently occupied with obliterating Harry's Queen, but took a short break to add his input.

"Yeah, 'Mione, come on. Relax."

Hermione gave them a pointed look, then returned to her homework. "You know this essay is due in a week. I can't relax when I have homework to do!"

But the boys had turned their attention back to their game.

Hermione was still up doing homework at nine-thirty that night. The boys had to resort to forceful tactics to get her to bed, and threats to keep her there. She finally fell asleep.

But downstairs, a certain pack of cards was left unattended…

Draco's POV

Draco sat in the Slytherin Common Room, staring at the object in his hand. So far, so good. Granger would be running to her in no time. Now, just wait.

"Where is she?"

"Still in bed," a silky voice replied.

"Argh! When will she get up?" This explosion didn't receive a reaction from the 6'2" Slytherin standing behind Draco. Instead, he waited patiently for the anger to wear itself out.

It did.

Hermione's POV

Hermione woke up late the next morning. Well, it was more like afternoon. One o'clock, to be exact. Surprisingly, she wasn't worried. She just stretched, got out of bed, and headed down to the Common Room. Sitting right where she had left it was her favorite deck of playing cards. They were the ones with the pinstripes on the back, and, for some odd reason, Hermione was crazy about them.

She picked them up and dealt a game of solitaire. As usual, she was about to win, but she noticed that there was still one card left to play, and her hands were empty. She looked around, on the floor, under the couch, and everywhere else she could think of, but she didn't see the missing card anywhere.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?" Ron asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Harry repeated, coming down the stairs, stretching his arms and yawning.

"Have either of you seen my King of Hearts?"


	2. Chapter 2

**King of Hearts**

**Chapter Two: Arrogance**

Blaise's POV

"She's awake." Blaise half-expected the words 'Your Majesty' to come out of his mouth.

"Yes," Draco murmured happily, fingering the playing card. "Now it's only a matter of time before she comes running to me."

Blaise Zabini rolled his eyes behind Draco's back. _That girl doesn't know what she's got coming. I almost pity her. Almost._

Hermione's POV

Hermione had no idea where her card could be. Neither Harry nor Ron knew where it was, and she had torn apart the Common Room at least eight times. She was starting to get worried.

"'Mione, you have a dozen decks of cards. Why is one card so important?" Ron asked, confused.

"It's _this _deck I want to play with. It's my favorite. I have to find that card!"

Ron sighed, exasperated. Who would ever understand Hermione Granger? "It's not like someone came into the Common Room just to take that card."

Hermione stopped in her tracks and looked at Ron admiringly. "Ronald Weasley, you're a genius! I never thought to ask the Fat Lady!"

"But—I didn't actually—I was joking…oh well."

Hermione dashed out the door to the Common Room and whirled around to face the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Slow down, dearie. What's wrong?"

"Did anyone come into the Common Room late last night?"

"Why yes, there was one young man who came in at about eleven. He was only in there for a few seconds before he darted back out again. Usually, I would have said something, but he was wearing a Head Boy badge."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Blaise Zabini."

Dracos' POV

It wasn't too much longer before Draco heard the argument out in the corridor. He motioned for Blaise to get the door, allowing the bushy-haired girl inside the Slytherin Common Room. She stomped angrily into the room, but instead of facing Draco, she turned to Blaise.

"Where's my card, Zabini?"

"Not one to beat around the bush, are we, Granger?" came Draco's voice behind the furious sixth year.

"Don't play games with me, Malfoy. I will have my card back, one way or the other." She placed her hand on her wand, whirling around and putting her free hand out, palm side up, in front of the blonde-haired boy.

"No need to resort to magic, Granger. I'll give you your card." He passed it in front of her eyes, slowly and confidently. "I just want to hear you grovel first."

"What? Never."

"Oh, come off it, mudblood. Grovel to the Slytherin Prince."

"Maybe you should put that ego away before you injure someone with it."

Draco smirked. "Witty. I like that. It's cure. But I still want to hear you grovel."

"In your dreams, ferret boy." Hermione raised her wand.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ A voice shouted from behind her, reaching out to snatch he wand from midair.

Draco turned, amused. "Nice try, darling. But you'll need to work a lot harder than that."

"Don't. Call. Me. DARLING!" Hermione shouted through clenched teeth.

"What are you going to do about it?" Draco paced the floor slowly, his smirk still firmly in place, and began to twirl the playing card in his fingers.

Hermione stared at it, as if in a trance. Suddenly, her gaze snapped to Malfoy. Her face turned red from anger, and, before Zabini could stop her, she smacked Malfoy right between the eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" He screamed, grasping his broken nose and trying to stop the steady stream of blood flowing from it.

Hermione smiled and watched as the King of Hearts slowly drifted down to the cold dungeon floor. She bent down and picked it up, then retrieved her wand from Blaise, who was preoccupied with helping Draco. "Don't mess with me, Malfoy," she whispered before straightening and sauntering out of the room, wearing the smirk off Draco's face.

"I guess that wasn't the best method of winning her heart," Blaise pointed out dryly.

Draco smacked him across the back of the head, still holding his bleeding nose.


	3. Chapter 3

**King of Hearts**

**Chapter Three: What?**

Hermione's POV

"Ooh! That little ferret! How could he do that? And then, to…to have the nerve—ooh!" Hermione was pacing the floor furiously. Harry and Ron were sitting at a table nearby, playing chess. Or trying to, at least. With all the racket that Hermione was making, it was impossible.

"Mione, would you please sit down? Look, you got your card back alright? Now how about playing some solitaire with it or something? Please?"

Hermione glared at Ron. "You don't understand. He was disgusting. Calling me darling and acting all sexy but being a total jerk at the same time!"

Ron's eyes were humongous, and growing wider by the second. His face was draining itself of all color. "Did y-you just….call that…that GIT…SEXY?!?!?" He spluttered disbelievingly.

Hermione realized her mistake too late and blushed, trying to cover for herself. "Erm…no, what I meant was—well, he was _trying_ to act all sexy."

Ron looked at her like she was crazy. "Yeah. I'm sure _that's_ what you meant."

_Why did I say that? _ Hermione frantically asked herself. _He's Malfoy. He isn't—and never could be—sexy! It's not possible." _Before she could stop it, though, her mind blurted, _He did look like he was working out, though. Kind of 'on the verge of sexy,' which I suppose is the closest he can get._

Hermione's eyes bulged as she realized what her thoughts had contained, and she dashed out of the room, hoping none of that had been accidentally said out loud.

Harry's POV

Hermione had been acting strange for the past couple of days, but today topped it all off. She had told Ron and Harry that Malfoy had been "acting all sexy," then freaked out. Harry himself wasn't surprised. In fact, he had been wondering when it would happen. Malfoy had been acting differently towards Hermione lately, and, through Harry wished they were directed at him, Hermione's affections were obviously drifting to the blonde-haired Slytherin boy.

_Lucky git!_ Harry found himself thinking. However, Ron's reaction to Hermione's outburst was completely different. He was nearly having a heart attack.

"Harry, didn't you hear her? She called him sexy! Him! Draco Malfoy, that disgusting, foul, Slytherin git! I think I'm going to throw up!"

Harry glanced at his best friend calmly. "Yes, Ron. I did hear her. And I think it's normal. She likes him. So what?"

Ron couldn't take it. He scrambled to the boy's restrooms, where he stayed for at least twenty minutes, Harry laughing the whole time. He couldn't help but patronize the boy sometimes.

Hermione's POV

Hermione found herself in a predicament. She needed to go somewhere to find herself. Anywhere would do, but then again, maybe it wouldn't. Hermione needed a place where she could be completely alone, yet she needed a distraction. Where could she seek solitude yet stop her mind from drifting to that ferret boy she couldn't stop thinking about?

_His muscles were so toned. And that smirk was so…sexy. Stop it, Hermione! Focus! He's a Slytherin…a very cute Slytherin…NO! You're a Gryffindor. You hate him, and that's that!_

Her mind seemed to obey her. For a few minutes, at least. But that was enough to gain control and find the perfect sanctuary…

Draco's POV

Draco needed a new plan. And he needed it fast. Something to both gain her forgiveness and capture her attention.

But what?

Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were helping him brainstorm, very unsuccessfully. Well, Pansy was mainly complaining to Draco and antagonizing him about changing his mind.

"You don't really like her, Draco. She's bewitched you. You like _me_, remember?"

"No, Pansy. I don't remember. That part of my memory seems to have been mysteriously snatched from me," Draco snapped, rolling his eyes and losing his patience with the dimwitted girl. "But anyhow, now I like Granger."

Pansy pouted, but didn't give up just yet. "But I'm so much prettier than she is!"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT, AND IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP, YOU'LL BE UGLIER THAN CRABBE!"

Pansy's eyes welled up with tears, and she ran back to her dormitory. Crabbe looked slightly offended, but Draco just glared at him and he averted his eyes.

None of Draco's cronies were getting anywhere, though, and he thought he might have to use his first idea—apologize sincerely. But then Blaise walked up.

"Well, I wanted to save this idea until later, but since it doesn't look like anyone has an idea—"

Draco's eyes flashed dangerously when he discovered that they had been racking their brains for no reason, and Blaise spat out the thought quickly.

"Make the girl jealous. It wouldn't be that hard. Plus, I could tell she liked you from our encounter earlier today." He grinned suavely, waiting for the response.

Draco pondered the thought. "It has potential. Good. Millicent, go get Pansy."

**A/N: I lied. I said this would be up here soon, and it took me forever (partly because I went to camp). But please, take the time to review it anyways…Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Lots of hearts and pie are locked away in a safe for my reviewers! (Strawberry and Rhubarb pie, it's the best!)**_He'He'sHe_


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